The blog of the 'There is a Better Way' campaign by STUC staff about policy issues that are, or should be, in the news and guest contributors on issues of social justice. Written from a STUC perspective, contributions will often cover areas where there is yet no settled STUC policy and go into areas in more detail than our formal decisions. We welcome debate and we don’t expect everyone to agree with us, but we will remove any comments that are offensive, irrelevant or otherwise annoy.

Thursday, 26 June 2014

The Commonwealth Games are coming to Glasgow. In just 27
days we will all be sitting down to enjoy the opening ceremony and looking
forward to watching what is sure to be another great sporting event.

It's right that everyone in Scotland, and Glasgow in
particular, should take pride in our Games and should welcome with enthusiasm the
athletes and visitors to our country, but while enjoying the occasion we should
also not forget some of the issues that still exist around the Commonwealth and
we should aim to project a positive image of Scottish values around the world.

It is in this spirit that the STUC is planning to fly the rainbow
flag on our buildings throughout the Commonwealth Games and we are asking trade
unions, employers and individuals to do the same.

By flying the rainbow flag we are recognising the Human Rights
of LGBT people and celebrating the distance that Scotland has come in promoting
equality for this group of people. But we are also rejecting the
anti-homosexuality laws that still exist in 80% of Commonwealth countries and we
are showing solidarity with the fight for Human Rights that is still being fought
by LGBT people across the Commonwealth.

Why the Rainbow
Flag?

The Commonwealth accounts for 30% of the world’s population.
Unfortunately it has shown a stubborn refusal to recognise or protect the Human
Rights of its LGBT citizens.

42 out of 53 Commonwealth countries still maintain laws
which criminalise consensual and private same-sex activities between adults. The
Commonwealth’s Charter may be committed to opposing ‘all forms of
discrimination’ including discrimination against LGBT people, but few countries
within the Commonwealth recognise this or are working to reduce discrimination
against LGBT people, rather many are going in the opposite direction.

Penalties under anti-homosexuality laws across the
Commonwealth include: 10 years imprisonment and hard labour in Jamaica; 14
years in Kenya; 20 years plus flogging in Malaysia; and 25 years in Trinidad
and Tobago. Bangladesh, Barbados, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Uganda and
Tanzania have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while in the 12 northern
states of Nigeria the maximum penalty for male homosexuality is death.

While these laws are not always enforced, they actively
create a negative and hostile environment for LGBT people who often feel like
second-class citizens. They also contribute to a wider culture of abuse, harassment
and degrading treatment that continues unchecked in many countries across the
Commonwealth.

In Uganda the Anti-Homosexuality Act was signed into law on
24th February 2014. This Act greatly expands the range of same-sex
sexual activities that are punishable by life imprisonment, including “touching
with the intention” of committing homosexual acts. It also criminalises
‘promoting homosexuality’, effectively criminalising care and counselling and
discouraging assembly and advocacy by Human Rights groups, NGOs and Trade Unions.
Any organisation trying to work with LGBT people, will risk losing its license
and individuals found guilty of ‘promotion’ face five to seven years in jail.

It is against this back-drop of criminalisation and widespread
abuse of LGBT people across the Commonwealth that the STUC is running its
campaign. By flying the rainbow flag we are rejecting these laws but we are
also offering a symbol of hope and solidarity to LGBT people.

Join us by flying the rainbow flag in your own home or
office building. The greater the visibility of the campaign the greater a
symbol of hope the Glasgow Games can be.

Friday, 13 June 2014

The First Minister will today set out his plans for reindustrialising Scotland. Reading between the lines of last week's Sunday Herald report and listening to this morning's radio coverage it doesn't appear as if the Scottish Government paper being published today will include a great deal that wasn't already been signalled in the White Paper.

Anyway, I think I've said all I want to say on the subject of industrial policy/manufacturing and constitutional change (see here, here and here).

But I thought it might be helpful to set out the scale of the challenge that awaits. Although we hear lots about the sector's strengthening recovery, manufacturing output remains 5% below pre-recession levels and in Scotland its recovery is being sustained by only two sub-sectors: food and drink (including of course whisky) and transport equipment (just less than 1/4 of the size of food and drink).

All the other sub-sectors remain well below pre-recession output levels and, worryingly, some continue to decline.

Now anyone arguing that this failure to 'reindustrialise' or 'rebalance' is all the fault of the Scottish Government is living in cloud cuckoo land: much more relevant are the UK's longstanding structural problems that work against manufacturing (see above links) and, crucially, weakness in key export markets. But therein lies the rub: unless under any constitutional scenario policy is targeted at these structural problems (it isn't currently) and global demand is strong, domestic policy is unlikely to make much difference. Even if policy does improve, the outcomes will be long-term and highly uncertain.

No reason not to do it and I wait with great anticipation to hear the detail of what is being proposed today. As the STUC has regularly stated it's a very good thing that politicians at all levels are taking an interest in manufacturing again. But placing incredibly speculative figures on the supposed per capita financial benefits really isn't helpful. Nor is the use of those silly tropes ('levers', 'blueprints') so beloved of Government which seek to give a veneer of mechanical certainty to the outcomes of long-term economic development policy.

About Me

The STUC is Scotland's Trade Union centre.
Our purpose is to co-ordinate, develop and articulate the views and policies of the trade union movement in Scotland and, through the creation of real social partnership, to promote: trade unionism; equality and social justice; the creation and maintenance of high quality jobs; and the public sector delivery of services.
The STUC represents over 596,000 trade unionists, the members of 37 affiliated trade unions and 22 Trades Union Councils. We speak for trade union members in and out of work, in the community and in the workplace, in all occupational sectors and across Scotland. Our representative structures ensure that we can speak with authority for the interests of women workers, black workers, young workers and other groups of trade unionists that otherwise suffer discrimination in the workplace and in society.